Towel dispensing apparatus



n 19',1 45. RF. P LvER Em 2,37 7 9 TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Fil ed Nov. 6, 1941 s Sheets- Sheet 1 F & is r 4 1 A I Mr -11{ v WWW w a, I

*7/30)" ATTORNE Y June 1945. F. F. PULVER ET AL TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 6, 1941 VENTORS.

IN .2 P

June 19-45 F. F. PULVER Ei-AL 2,373,789

TOWEL DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 6, 1941 r s Sheets-Sheet s F a j g a',

' PatentecI June 19, 1945 nuns Fratknpumr; St. Petersbnrg, momentum].

H. Matthews, Rochester, N. Y. assignors to Alli-.- ance Investment .CorporatiomSt; Petersburg, I;

Fla.,acorporation of Florida j e M Application November 6, 1941,8 2}

Claims.

Ourinvention relates in, general to towel cable netsj and more particularly, to towel dispensing.

apparatus. adapted .togdeliver a pre-determined length of towel to the user and wind up acor-f' responding; length. of soiled towel within the cabinet. M 1

Anotherqobject of the invention is to provide a towel dispensing .cabinet soconstructed and arranged that. the clean towel is protected from contact with the dirty portions. ofgthe and protected against dust and dirt. Another objectof the invention is to provide a towel dispensing cabinet having a compartment I so constructed andarranged within the cabinet thatthe clean toweling is protected'from dust i and dirt,; thecompartment being arranged-so that the major portion of the dirt accumulating within the cabinet, drops freely out of the cabinet.

Another object of our invention is to provide a towel cabinet which has inner and outer sections so arranged that the inner section, together with the toweling and dispensing mechanism therefor, may be removed as a unit from the outer section for the purpose of cleaning the cabinet and adjusting and cleaning the dispensing. mecha msm. .i i l .Another object of the inventionis to provide improved means for tensicning and smoothing the web of toweling as it passes over the clean as it passes to the soiled 1 towelfeed roll and also toweltakeuproll-l;

A further object of the inventioniish to pro.-

vide improved and simplifiedmeans for predetermining the length of towelwithdrawn for. use upon each actuation of: the dispensing mechanism. i

Still another object. of the invention is to provide a cabinet structure the parts of which. are so constructed and arranged that the soiled toweling may be quickly removed from the'cabinet and so that a; clean bolt of toweling may be threaded in the cabinet quickly and without error even by unskilled persons. 4 1 Our invention further. contemplates the provision .of a cabinet structure for dispensing toweling arranged so that when the cabinet door is closed the feed rollsare locked against rota.- tionin one direction while, when the door isopen, the-feed rolls may be rotated in either direction so as to permiteasyadjustment of the. towelingfirethreadingof thesame in case oferror,

or withdrawal of the toweling from the cabinet ineither direction. i l x it Other objects and. advantages or the invention toweling will be particularly pointed out in the claims and wili appear from the following descriptiomwherr taken. in connection withthe accompanying drawingsinwmchz...

Fig. 1. is-a frontelevation of the towel dis-.-

pensing cabinet of the invention with the cabinet door closed; a

Fig'u2 is a sideelevation of, theqcabinet structure; shown in Fig. 1,, .t with! parts. thereof in dottediines andia portion of the cabinet structure broken. away better to illustrate the invention; fl" I;

Fig; 3 isan enlarged view otaportionof Fig. 2 withithe'cabinetqdooropen; 1 l e l r l 4 is a frontelevation f thevtowelfidispensing mechanism partiyin section, and shows the generalarrangement of the towel feed rolls and illustrates the manner in which. the dispensingmechanism is supported within the cabinet. structure;

outer cabinet removed and with Fig; 6 is a fragmentary view of portion of Fig. 5 with the partsxintowel threading or cabine l e ne it n; l l q; l -Fig; 7 is a view showing the stoprn echa nism for the towel feed rolls and showing,the parts in abutting or feed roll arresting relation;

Fig. 3 isa view similar tq l ig. .flshoqwing. the position of theparts when the stop pin has been Withdrawndrom engagement with. the stop; 9 is a vertical section through the dis; pensing mechanism showing the position of the, parts when the machine is loaded and ready for use; i 1 i parts-or the dispensing mechanism. in. the posi: tion they occupy duringthe towel threading .Figflill is a viewp lsiznilar to 9, showing the" 40 operation the web cft'owelingwbeing shown; in

threadingg I r Fig; '10- showing the positionoithepartsand the r to to e i awhen the hr a o r o b stantial'lvoompletedc; i ,The towel dispensingapparatusof the inven tion comprises a. cabinet, o1" outershell section generally indicatedrby thenumeral l2 having,

top and. bottomJwallsr 1.3, a rear wall It; side- 'walls 15,;and a. front opening. The front open-- ing: may be closed be aeiosure or door ti, hinged l to one of theside walls, asindicatedyat' l-l. The door may beprovided with: a lock is and preterthe; -position it occupies? at the start of towel 5a ably with a mirror l9r. While haveshowm a particular type of cabinet, it will be appreciated that the details of the cabinet may be varied and that the towel dispensing mechanism may be mounted in other styles and shapes of cabinets. The particular cabinet shown is intended for mounting, by means of suitable openings in the back wall [4 (Fig.fi) on suitable supports 2| providedo'n the 'ijwalli of a wash room, or other place in which the cabinet is to be used.

Mounted within the outer section of the cabinet is an inner section or mechanism supporting frame, generally indicated by the numeral 22 (Fig. 4). The inner section may comprise a pair of side plates 23, having outwardly turned side flanges, as indicated at 24, which are rigidly connected by cross pieces'ZB, welded or otherwise secured to the sideplates. The inner rear wall of the outer cabinet section is provided with a pair of slide clips or latches 21, having ends; 28 adapted, when the inner frame section is been shifted into position, as permitted by the pin and slot arrangement shown at 25, they may be locked in position by 'means of thumb screws29. L

As will more clearly appear from Figs 9, the forward portion of the bottom wall l3 of the cabinet is provided 'withan elongated slot or opening3l which matches with a similar slot formed at the door margin. The slots 30 and 3! form an elongated opening through. which the web'of toweling, indicated by the numeral 32, may depend. The edgesof the slots may-be upwardly turned, as indicated at 33,to provide smooth surfaces over which the-web of toweling may-pass.

The rear portion of the lower wall l3 of the cabinet may be provided with a slot 34 upwardly through which the toweling is passed. The opening 34 is made sufficiently wide to permit the attendant who-services the cabinet to extend his hand upward into the cabinet for the purpose of threading the towelingg as will more clearly appear later. 'The edges of the opening 34 are upwardly turned, as indicated at 36, to provide smooth surfaces in case they should be engaged by the'web'of-toweling'. i g

The forward upturned edge further provides an abutment 31 behind which a guide or-partition plate 38 may be lodged, when the inner frame section is assembled within the outer cabinet section. It will-be apparent, when the frame section is mounted within-the cabinet section with the partition plate 38"lodged behind the abutment 31 and with the latches 2] in opera tive positionythat the inner frame section is rigidly locked within the cabinet against any shifting-movement. 1 i i Carried by the side plates- 23 ofthe inner frame section 22 are a pair of feed rolls 4| and 42 (Fig. 4). The feed rolls are suitably journaled in the side plates and are provided with carborundum or otherfriction surfaces 43, as is well known in the art to which this invention applies. While I any suitable arrangement of the feed rolls may be 'einployedywe preferto'mount the feed rolls approximately vertically one abovethe other, thedower feed roll 4l,in this instance, serving asa clean towel feed rollwhile-the' upper feed roll 42 serves as a soiled towel feed roll.

The bottom of the inner frame section is provided with a plate '44 (Fig. 9) which maybe curved. or flat, as 'desired, for thereception of a bolt 46 'of clean toweling, l The inner-walls ofthe side plates are provided with guide members 4'! which are sloped downward and inward, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4 for the purpose of centrally locating the bolt and aligning the web of toweling with respect to the clean towel feed roll 4|.

In the preferred form of the invention the clean toweling is passed upward and around the clean towel feed roll ll and thence forward over a bar 48, and thence downward through the opening formed by the slots 30 and 3| to form a loopbeneath the cabinet. The web is then passed upward through the opening 34 to a soiled toweltake up roll '49, the function and operation of which will be later described. It will now be apparent, when the toweling is threaded as shown in Fig. 9, that upon the usergrasping the depending end of the towel webbing and exerting a downward pull that the clean towel feed roll 4! will be rotated.

Referring now to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be observed that'the clean towel feed roll shaft projects through the side platesand has mounted adjacent the left projecting end thereof a driv ing gear element 5!. The shaft'ends of the dirty towel feed roll 42 also extend through the side plates and the left projectingend has mounted thereon a gear element 52. Thegears 5| and 52 mesh with each other, are of the same diameter, and are provided with the .same number of gear teeth, thus insuring a' complete rotation of the dirty towel feed roll each time the clean towel feed roll is rotated through one revolution.

It is desired that the apparatus be adapted to dispense a pre-determined length of toweling upon the user pulling downwardupon the towel webbing depending from the cabinet. This length-of toweling is pre-determined by the cir .cumference of the feed rolls provided that the rotation of the feed rolls is stopped or interrupted upon each complete rotationthereof.

' For the purpose of interrupting rotation of the feed rolls the gear 52 is provided with a boss 53. The boss 53 has a bore 54 in which is slidably mounted a piston or pin 56. The pin 55 is free in the bore and has a portion 51 between its ends of decreased diameter for the reception of a screw 58. The screw-serves to limit the inward and outward movement of the pin 56 which, as is apparent, willbe thrown outward by centrifugal force when the gear 52 is rotated.

A stop 6| is carried by the side plate 23 and is located in the path of movement of the pin 56 when the pin is in its outer position, as shown in Fig. '7. Thus at each rotation of the gear 52, following a pull on the towel webbing, the pin 56 is thrown outward so as to strike the stop or abutment Bi and arrest rotation of the feed rolls. By thus arresting the rotation of the rolls, the user is deterred from using an unnecessary length of toweling. While a timing device might be provided by employing an air cylinder back of the pin or piston with a bleed opening, w prefer the arrangement shown. We have found that where timing devices are employed the user frequently becomes impatient and attempts to forcibly pull and tear the toweling before the timing device has ofobtaining clean toweli'ng. It will be appreelated, if the parts are in the abutting relation shown in Fig. 7, that the pin 56 may not drop by gravity out of position due to its frictional engagement with the stop or abutment 6|.

To insure that the pin will drop by gravity the gears are given aslight rotation in the opposite direction after the pin strikes the abutment. This is accomplished by a camelement 62 which is pivoted to the, side plate, as indicated at 63. A roller 64 mounted on the inner side surface of the gear is arrangedto engage the cam surface 66 when the gear 51 is rotated. A spring 61 having one end abutting against a pin 68 and its other end engaging the cam element, as indicated at 69, normally urges the cam element 62 in aclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 7-. A stop 1| secured to the side plate limits the movement of the cam element 62.

g In the position of theparts shown in Fig. 8, the pin 58 is out of engagement with the stop GI so that the user may pull downward on the web and secure ameasured lengthoftoweling. Upon com-,

pletion of rotation the parts are in the position showninFig. 7 with themechanism stopped by reason oft-he engagement of the pin 56 with the stop or abutment =61. In moving to this position the roller 64 (Fig. 7 has cooked the cam element 62 so that when the parts are stopped the spring 61, is tensioned; This causes a force tending to rotate the gear "51 in a counterclockwise direction. It results in a slight rotation of the gears 51 and 52 to the position of theparts shown in Fig. 8 seas to withdraw the pin 56' from the engagement with the-abutment T6]. and permit the pin 56 to drop by gravity. Thus the parts are conditioned for the next actuation by a user pulling downward on the depending towel webbing.

it .It is intended when the machine is in operatiomfor apurpose which will later appear, that rotationvof the :gears shall be permitted in only one direction (the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. '7 and 8).. However, attimes,.it is desired "to rotate the feed rolls in the opposite direction. For this purposeacam finger 12 is provided which will permit the gears to be rotated in the reverse direction, from that indie cat-ed in-the arrows inthe Figs. 7 and 8, withoutxinterruption by engagement of the pin .56

withastop. U

Forpreventing rotation of the feed rolls when the machine is in operation, in any direction exceptthat indicated by the arrows in Figs. 7 and 8, the shaft, at the opposite end of the soiled towel feed roll 42, isprovided with a ratchet Wheel 16 which is adapted to be engaged by a pivoted pawl or detent 11. The pawl 77 has an arm 18 which is engaged by the end 19 of a lever 8| fulcrumed at 82. As shown most clearly in Figs, 9 and 10,

the lever 8i projects forwardly through the flange of theide plate 23 into a position such" that it may be engagedby the inner wall of the door or closure 16 when the door is closed, as shown at 80 inFig. 2.

When the door is closed the projecting end of thelever 8! is pushed inward so as torotate the lever about the pivot 82 in a clockwise direction,

as viewed in Fig. 3, and withdraw the end 19 from the pawl. Upon Withdrawalof the lever 81, the pawl, which is properly weighted, may drop by gravity into engagement with the teeth of, the ratchetwheel 1'6.

S ig ea r e are tim a e as'ravse 49 the web in contact with the clean towel feed roll.

It will be appreciated that i there is enough play between the teeth of they ratchet wheel 16 andthe pawl 1'! toperm'it "the engagement with the stop or abutment 6|.

. By the ratchet and pawl arrangement; above described, it will be apparent, when the door- I 6 is closed and locked, that unauthorized persons can not reverse the direction of rotation of the feed rolls so as to pull'the towel out of the cabinet. When the machine is loaded or threaded,

a certain amount of the toweling is wound upon the take 'up roll 49. closed, the direction of the rotation of the feed rolls can not be reversed, from the direction indicated in Fig. 9, the toweling cannot be withdrawn from the-cabinet by pulling the toweling' on the soiled towel take up roll. n

'One of the important features of our invention lies in the means provided for protecting theclean toweljtrom contact with the dirty toweling and i also for protecting "the bolt of clean toweling from dust and dirt which may sift downward through the cabinet. For this purpose the bolt of clean toweling is mounted in a separate compartment formed by the plate 44, the partition plate 33, anda shield 9|. The shield 91 is bent forward and upward. and extends substantially completely across the cabinet between the side plates so that dust and dirt dropping downward from the dirty toweling may fall upon the shield 1 drop to the rear and outward 9| and thence may through the opening 34 in the bottom of the cabinet.

The shield 9| is pivoted so that it may be shifted to the dotted line, as shown in Fig. 10, in which position of the shield the threading of the toweling around the cleantowel feed roll may be easily accomplished. The shield 91 further servesthe purpose of smoothing the toweling as it passes,

over the clean towel feed roll and of applying a slight pressure on the toweling so as to maintain While the shield 9! may be pressed downward by means of a spring, it has been foundthat the weight thereof, with the pivot point located in the position shown, is sufficient for the purpose desired. The shield 9| thusservesnot only to protect the elean toweling but also as a tensioning and smoothing member.

The clean towel feed roll is preferably provided with a second combined tensioning and smoothing plate or member, indicated by the numeral 93 The member 93 is curved in cross section and preferably shrouds the major portion of the circumference of the clean towel feed roll. The curved member 93 is carried by brackets 94 pivoted in the side plates and is normally urged, by

means of a spring 96 which extends through an opening adjacent the side edge of lip 10! of member'93, in a direction such that its forward surface 91 engages the web of toweling and presses it against .the clean towel feed roll. l n

It will be observed that a downwardpull n the web of toweling willtend to shift the member 93 in a clockwise direction about the pivot 94.

For the purpose of arresting this movement a stop pin 98 is provided whichin normal operation has no function. However, should the userexert an unnecessarily hard downward pull on the web 32 themember 93 will engage the stop pin 98. Preferably the curv ed member93 is slightly flexible, so that should the toweling be pulled vigorously the rear, edge will not bear too heavily.

againstth efeed roll but instead will exert a resilient pressure on. the toweling to press it againsttheroll. f f r InFigi 10 we have. shown the apparatus inthe wise direction. required to free the pin Strrom Since, when the door is position which the pants occupy at the'ini-tial step of threading the towel about theclean towel feed roll. The end of the towel is placednover thecurved lip IllI of the plate 93 with the end thereof in contact with the cleantowel feed roll. To accomplish this the member 93 may be shifted downward about its pivot so as to lie substantially in engagement with .the pin 98. The dirty towel feed roll may then be rotated by hand in counterclockwise direction soas to rotate the clean towel feed roll in a clockwise direction and thereby feed the web of the .toweling around with the clean towel feed roll. With the rotation of the roll the member 93 functions to smoothen and straighten the towel as the roll is rotated. When the end of the toweling has substantially completed a rotation with the roll, the endthereof projects beneath the shield SI. Upon raising the shield the end of the toweling may be grasped andpulled through, draped over the top of the bar 48 to hang downward through the slot 3|. A substantial loop of toweling is left dangling below the cabinet while the end of the towel is fed up through the opening E l. This is accomplished by inserting the hand upward between the partition plate 38 and the back wall of the cabinet. The towel is then threaded over a ten: sioning assembly, generally indicated by the numeral I02, the operation of which will be presently described and rolled upon the soiled towel take up roll 48.

t It will be particularly noted that the spring 95 tends to rotate the member 93 so as to cause the web to be pressed against the clean towel feed roll substantially at thepoint of entrance sure of the shield 9| is exerted on the towel substantially at the point where the towel leaves the feed roll. Thus the towel is tensioned, smoothed and wrapped in contact with substantially the entire circumference of the feed roll so as. to prevent slippage and insure proper feeding. Moreover, when the towel is'pulled downward, the member 93 pivots and the part 95 of the member 93 presses the webbing, preferably resiliently, against the feed roll.

It is extremely important that the dirty toweling shall accumulate on the soiled towel take up roll M! by tightly and smoothly winding the webbing thereon. For this purpose, we have provided the novel previously mentioned, web tensioning assembly, generally indicated by the numeral I92. The tensioning assembly I82 comprises a pair of arms Hi3 which are pivoted, one to each of the side plates as indicated at I04, and connected by a cross plate I06 extending substantially completely across the machine between the side plates. Carried by the forward portions of the arms is a roller II]? which is arranged to rotate freely in openings provided in the arms. Pivoted at the end of each of the arms N13 is one of a pair of swinging arms I98. The free ends of the swinging arms I08 are provided with pins adapted to freely receive a roller I09. If desired, the rollers Illl and I99 may be fixed in their supports. When the rollers are fixed in their supports, the friction on the toweling is increased and hence the web is wound more tightly on the takeup roll,

It will now be appreciated that when the plate I06 ismanually swung upward, by means of a finger opening III provided in the plate Icii, to the position shown in Fig. 11 that the rollers I01 and I09 will assume the position shown in that view. In this position the roller I09 rests loosely against the soiled towel feed roll.

III

The end of the toweling may then be threaded upward over a bar II2, over the roller I09 and beneath the roller IiII. The take up roll during the threading operation is mounted in a pair of grooves II3 provided in the side plates. It will be understood that the take up roll has pins projecting from the ends thereof adapted to be received in the grooves H3 and in the slots II I.

After a suitable length of toweling has been Wound on the take up roll, in the manner illustrated in Fig. 11, the take up roll is, while continuing to wind the towel thereon, placed in the slots H4 and shifted to the position shown in Fig. 9. In this position the dirty toweling rests upon and is driven. by the dirty towel feed roll. After the threading operation has been completed, the plate I06, together with the arms I03, is pushed downward to applying tension on the webbing.

For the purpose of guiding the rolls I01 and I09 to their proper position, a pair of cam tracks I I6 are provided, one mounted on each of the side plates. These cam tracks are spaced apart a distance just sufiicient to accommodate the width of the web and therefore function as a guide to align the web properlywith respect to the take up roll. It will be observed that the guide bar II2 connects the ends of the cam tracks II6. It serves to prevent the operator from improperly threading the toweling since the bar I I2 causes'the attendant to insert the end of the webbing over the roller I69, as indicated in Fig, 11, instead of tion isto be accomplished, the roll I09 is'below the roll IIIT so that the toweling takes a substantially straight path to the dirty towel take'up roll when that roll i mounted in the position shown in FigsjlO and 11. Thus little or no obstruction is offered by the parts of the tensioning assembly and the threading operation may be accomplished quickly and with little likelihood of mistake. When the plate I06 is pushed downward the roll I09 shifts to an uppermost position while the roll ,IIll i depressed. This causes the webbing of the towel to take a circuitous path and applies sufiicient tension on the webbing to accomplish tight winding of the dirty towel.

It will be particularly noted, when the machine is in operation (Fig. 9) with tension on the webbing, that there is an upward force on the roller I01. For this reason a latch I2I is provided which is pressed by means of a spring I22 (Fig. 11) so that'the margins of a groove I23 thereof engage a roller I24 carried by the side plate 23. Thus,

when the roller I24 lies in the groove I23, the Web tensioning assembly, generally indicated by the numeral I22, is latched in position. However, when desired the latch IZI may be cammed aside by manually raising the plate I06 against. the action of the spring I22 to shift the plate IIlGto the threading or towel loading position shown in Fig. 10. Further it is desirable to provide means for latching the webtensioningassembly in the threading position. This is accomplished by providing the latch with a second latch groove I26 whichfunctions, in cooperation with the roller I24, to latch the web tensioning assembly I02 in the position shown in Fig. '11.

One important aspect of 'our invention lies in 2,378,789 the fact thatthe complete toweldispensing' as smbly,together-wi'th toweling, may be removed from thecabinet.' Moreover, the machine, after rethreadingthe toweling, may be operated jwhen l the dispensing mechanism is out of thecabinet,

.This exposes the parts to-view so as to enable completeobservation of'the functioning of the mechanism to permit, such adjustment of the parts as may be required. In addition, the cabinet and towel dispensing assembly may be con- ,veniently cleaned when the towel dispensing assembly is removed from the cabinet. Removal of the soiled toweling and loading the machine with fresh toweling is, of course, accomplished with the "towel dispensing assemblyin the cabinet.

Of particular advantageis the fact that the direction of feed roll rotation may be reversed upon opening the door. This latter fact permits the dirty towel to be quickly stripped from the take up jroll, when desired, and permits the attendant to pull the towel backward partly or completely off the take up roll should the web be unevenly winding on the take up roll or should the web be kinked or wrinkled.

While we have shown the preferred form of our invention it will be apparent that various changes feedr'ollI a l r l 5.1.In "ran yapparatus for: dispensing toweling, a

ranged 1 that it presses :the toweling" iagainst l the feed roll, a take up roll for dirty toweling drivenloy said'feed roll, and meansior tensioning the towel- "ing so thatitmay wind tightly on said takeup roIL saidmean's comprising anupper member and a lower member, the tOWGIiHg being threaded over the lower member and under the upper member, and means including a guide track for enabling shifting of said members after thethread ing has been completed to a position such'that the lower member becomes the upper member.

6. An apparatus for dispensing toweling comprising, in combination, a cabinet section having an opening, towel dispensing mechanismincludv ing a pair of operatively connected feed rolls supand modifications will suggest themselves to those ported within said cabinet section, a closure for said opening, and means actuated bysaid closure for preventing rotation of the feed rolls in one direction when the closure is closed.

2. An apparatus for dispensing toweling com- 3 prising, in combination,- a .cabinet section having an opening, towel dispensing mechanism supported Within said cabinet section, said mechanism comprising a clean towel feed roll and a 1 dirty towel feed roll operatively connected to said; clean towel feed roll, a take up roll upon which i the dirty toweling is accumulated as it is used, 50

a closure for said opening, means actuated by said closure for locking the said roll against rotation in one direction so as to prevent removal of the dirty toweling from the take up roll when the closure isclosed, said means being released upon opening the closure so as to permit rotation of said feed rolls in both directions.

3. An apparatus for dispensing toweling comprising, in combination, a compartment having an upper wall for receiving a bolt of clean toweling ported within said cabinet section, a closure for ,said opening, means including a ratchet wheel and a pawl for preventing rotation of the feed rolls in one direction when the closure is closed, and means for disengaging said pawl and ratchet wheel when the closure is open to permit rotation of the rolls in both directions.

7. An apparatus for dispensing toweling comprising, in combination, a cabinet having an i opening, towel dispensingmechanism including feed roll means supported within said cabinet, a take up roll upon which the dirty toweling is accumulated as it is used, a closure for said opening, locking means for locking said roll means against rotation in one direction so as toprevent removal of the dirty toweling from the take up roll when the closure is closed, and means released by the closure forreleasing said locking means when the closure is opened so as to enable rotation of said roll means in both directions.

8. In an apparatus for dispensingtowelinga feed roll for toweling and a pair of pivoted plates substantially shrouding said feed roll, said plates being constructed and arranged so that one of, the plates presses the toweling against the roll substantially along the line where the toweling engages the feed roll while the other plate presses the towelingagainst the feed roll substantially along the line where the toweling leaves the said roll, and means associatedwith at least one of said feed rolls with which thetoweling contacts as it passes to the take up roll, one of said feed rolls above said feed roll and so constructed and arbeing within the compartment and the other i being above saidupper wall, said upper wall being pivoted and so constructed and arranged that contact with the clean towel 1 plates for urging said plate into pressing position.

9. An apparatus for dispensing toweling comprising, in combination, a clean towel feed roll,

a dirty towel feed roll, a support for a bolt of clean toweling, a dirty towel take up roll upon which the toweling is wound by the dirty towel feed roll, the web of toweling passing from the bolt around the clean towel feed roll and from thence to the take up roll, the' web of toweling both entering and leaving the clean towel feed roll substantially at a tangent thereto and separate means for pressing the web of toweling into feed roll substantially along each line of tangency.

10. An apparatus for dispensing toweling com prising, in combination, a clean towel feed roll, a

dirty towel feed roll, a support for a bolt of clean toweling, a dirty towel take up roll upon which the toweling is wound by the dirty towel feed roll,

. a tangent thereto, and separate means for pressing the web of toweling into contact with the clean towel feed roll substantially along each line of tangency, said last mentioned means being displaceable to enable convenient threading of the web of toweling around the clean towelieed roll.

11. An apparatus for dispensing toweling comprising, in combination; a cabinet having an opening, towel dispensing mechanism including feed r011 means supported Within said cabinet, a closure for said opening, means for preventing rotation of the roll means in one direction when the closure is closed and enabling rotationof the rollmeans in both directions when the closure is open, said means including an element on the dispensing 7 mechanism movable by the closure upon the opening and closing thereof. 1 I

FRANK F. PULVER. WILLIAM H. MATTHEWS; 

